Nearly 5 months after the Tohoku earthquake on March 11, 2011, disaster victims are being relocated from evacuation centers to temporary housing; however, their living and health conditions are continuing to deteriorate. The increases in blood pressure levels and in the prevalence of hypertension among disaster area residents strongly suggest that there will soon be an overwhelming increase in the incidence of strokes in the Tohoku region, as is common in disaster areas.

Labeled the “national disease of Japan”, strokes have a hospitalization rate exceeding those of cancer and heart disease by 1.5 and 3.5 times, respectively. From the perspective of protecting the health and welfare of Japanese citizens, the Japan Stroke Society cannot ignore the tendency for stroke incidence rates to increase in disaster areas.
The Japan Stroke Society strongly urges the Japanese government to rapidly improve living and health conditions for disaster victims and to establish a powerful and effective stroke prevention system.

Akira Ogawa, President on behalf of all members
The Japan Stroke Society
July 31, 2011